The present invention relates to the field of communications.
Mobile communication devices have become ubiquitous in modern society. It is largely assumed that individuals may be reached instantly, anywhere at any time. This assumption is somewhat flawed, as multiple situations exist in which a communication recipient is for one reason or another not immediately apprised of a communication attempt. This type of situation can be generally categorized as situations where a communication impediment exists.
Attempt impediments can include a recipient's device being in a silent ring state, such as a vibrate mode. Another impediment can exist where a recipient's device is set to a relatively low volume and/or subtle ringtone which is unable to be heard due to ambient noise and/or to the device being concealed (e.g., in a purse, pocket, glove box, etc.) in a manner that muffles a ring.
When a communication recipient (e.g., a callee) is not successfully reached, callers are currently limited to leaving a voice mail, an IM message, a text message, and the like. These mechanisms can be less than ideal when a communication is urgent and requires an immediate response, since a relatively substantial delay can occur before a recipient consumes a message and responds to it.